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The San Diego Chargers return to action following last Thursday’s 21-13 win over the Green Bay Packers when they host the Dallas Cowboys Saturday night at Qualcomm Stadium. Both teams are coming off 8-8 seasons in 2011 and look poised to make a return trip to the playoffs after missing out last year.

The Chargers opened the preseason with a commanding 21-13 win over the Green Bay Packers. A pair of touchdowns by Antonio Gates and Vincent Brown gave the home team an early 14-0 lead, and the Bolts led 14-7 at halftime. The Packers scored early in the fourth quarter, but missed the two-point conversion. A couple series later, Curtis Brinkley plunged into the end zone on a one-yard dive to secure the San Diego victory.

With Ryan Mathews out four-to-six weeks with a broken clavicle, head coach Norv Turner expects to deploy a running back by committee, with Ronnie Brown getting the bulk of the carries. Still, expect tailbacks Edwin Baker, Jackie Battle, Curtis Brinkley, Michael Hayes and fullback Le’Ron McClain to see plenty of touches as well.

In the passing game, Charlie Whitehurst appears set to make his preseason debut after sitting out the opener recovering from his leg injury. How the quarterbacks divvy up their time between Philip Rivers, Jarrett Lee and Whitehurst remains to be seen.

On Offense for the Cowboys

Dallas’ offense is led by Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo, the NFL’s fourth-leading passer with a rating of 102.5 in 2011. His top returning targets are tight end Jason Witten (79 rec., 942 yards and 5 TDs) and wide receivers Dez Bryant (63-928-9) and Miles Austin (43-579-7). After running back Felix Jones was injured, rookie DeMarco Murray gave the Cowboys running game a spark as he finished the season with 897 yards and a 5.5 yards per carry average.

On Defense for the Chargers

After struggling in third-down situations in 2011, the Chargers vastly improved in that area in the team’s opener vs. the Packers. San Diego forced seven three-and-outs in addition to a fourth-down stop that turned into an interception. The team was very impressive in forcing turnovers as a whole, recovering three fumbles in addition to the aforementioned pick.

In addition, the Chargers were encouraged by the play of their top two rookies, Melvin Ingram and Kendall Reyes. Look for their continued use in various situations this Saturday night. Ingram finished the game with two tackles and had the QB pressure that directly led to the interception. Reyes created havoc at the line of scrimmage, amassing one tackle and three assists along with half a sack.

On Defense for the Cowboys

Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware led the Cowboys in 2011 and ranked second in the NFL with 19.5 sacks, while fellow linebacker Sean Lee led the squad with 131 tackles and tied for the team lead with four interceptions. The Cowboys added a young playmaker to their defense in April’s NFL Draft with the selection of LSU’s Morris Claiborne, winner of the 2011 Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back.

Preseason Series History

The game marks the 14th preseason matchup between the Chargers and Cowboys in the teams’ history, with Dallas leading the series seven to six. The teams have squared off during the last two preseasons with the Chargers winning 20-7 in Dallas last year and the Cowboys beating the Chargers, 16-14, in San Diego in 2010. The first preseason meeting between the teams took place in San Diego in 1970.

By the Numbers

So far this preseason, the Chargers rank 12th in total offense (326.0 yards per game), sixth in passing (258.0 ypg) and 26th in rushing (68.0ypg). The Cowboys rank 29th in total offense (202.0 ypg), 22nd in passing (148.0 ypg) and 29th in rushing (54.0 ypg).

Defensively, the Bolts rank 9th in total defense (230 ypg), 18th in passing (179.0 ypg) and 3rd in rushing (51.0 ypg), while the Cowboys rank 11th in total defense (253.0 ypg), 14th in passing (164.0 ypg) and 15th in rushing (89.0 ypg).

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